The Darkness Review

El Rey Theatre | Los Angeles, CA

March 15, 2022

In November of 2021, the U.K. rock band The Darkness released their 7th studio album and after a long hiatus from the stage due to the pandemic, the band was ready to take their new album out on the road. In a career that has lasted for nearly two decades, The Darkness have gone through several ups, and several downs yet throughout all of it they’ve kept their spirit, style, and attitude - they haven't grown or changed a ton, but they are still writing absolute bangers and haven't lost their fun and glamourous rock n' roll spirit.

As I approached the venue, I noticed a silver Pontiac Firebird with a hood covered in flame decals parking in the VIP space directly in front of the box office. I’m unsure of who the car belonged to (and I’m not much a car person) but I was still able to appreciate how fitting it was to the night’s rock n roll aesthetic. The dazzling outfits of the audience members also added to the glitz and glam attitude that The Darkness so proudly and unabashedly wears on their sleeves. It was really refreshing to see the wide range of ages in the venue that night. As I made my way towards the front of the theater, not only was I able to notice children accompanied by their parents wearing massive ear protection and donning t-shirts of the headliners, but I also saw older fans that were heavily clad in denim, leather, and hairspray that looked that they’d be right at home as a member of Motley Crüe.

Following an electrifying set from the Nashville-based rock band The Dead Deads and the final between-bands intermission, the curtains were raised as “Arrival” by ABBA played and the band swaggered onto the stage to greet the roaring audience. After a quick hello from frontman Justin Hawkins, the band jumped right into “Welcome Tae Glasgae”, the opening track to their latest record Motorheart which was released just this past autumn. Along with being the opening song to their latest release, whose title is spelled with the signature Scottish accent, it also serves as a perfect taste test to what makes The Darkness such a spectacle to witness live. The track boasts all the band’s best qualities, from the face-melting guitar riffs to the humor in the lyrics and, of course, Hawkin’s cloud-scraping falsetto. The two-and-a-half-minute banger of a track not only set the mood for the band’s 7th studio release but also got the audience in gear for the rest of the night. I couldn’t help but lower my camera so I can headbang while throwing up the horns along with everyone else around me.

The rest of their set was sprinkled with some of the best songs spanning their wide, 7 album catalog, yet, The Darkness only included just 3 tracks off of their latest album. You would expect an internationally touring band that just put out a new record to showcase many of the new songs off their latest release, but the band had something else in mind. Perhaps it was the fact that they were finally able to return to the states, perhaps they just missed playing those songs live but The Darkness packed track after track from the record that proved they were a force to be reckoned with, their 2003 debut Permission to Land. At one point, someone in the audience shouted, “Get your hands off my woman” (The 2nd song off of Permission To Land) which prompted Hawkin’s to give a snarky remark on how this was their show and they’ll be damned if they let anyone tell them what to do. This was followed shortly by “Anyway, this next one’s called “Get Your Hands Off My Woman”.

As “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” came to an end, the band left the stage leaving the crowd pining for more. We all knew what was coming. How could The Darkness play a show without including their #1 song? When they did return, they had undergone a complete wardrobe change and were ready to give the audience what they came for. But before going into the iconic opening riff to “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”, Justin Hawkin had a small request for us. That for just one song, everyone would put their phone down and live in the moment without having to experience the show through a screen.

Most people will always think of The Darkness as that goofy rock band with a catchy hit from the early 2000s and I’ll admit, I too was one of those people. But there’s something special about them. Despite the hardships they had gone through over the decades, including the breakups, the substance abuse, and the eventual rehabilitation Justin Hawkins had to undergo, The Darkness have been dishing out album after album of fun, yet hard-hitting rock that just begs the listener to crank the volume and headbang. If you have the chance, do yourself a favor and catch this band live because they are so much more than their hit song. As guitarist Dan Hawkin once said in a 2003 interview "People seem to have forgotten that being in a rock band is by its nature ridiculous. A lot of bands think being cool is more important than enjoying themselves."

The Darkness are currently on tour across the US in support of their latest record, Motorheart.